Sharp increase in dangerously fitted child car seats

Sharp increase in dangerously fitted child car seats

Figures released today by Good Egg Safety show a 13% rise in badly fitted child car seats from 2010 to 2013, based on over 10,000 (10,663) tests conducted nationally. Campaigners have blamed a ‘perfect storm’ of poor in-shop assistance by some retailers, online buying, hand-me-downs and second-hand purchases.

To be safe, a child seat must be appropriate for the type of vehicle it is in, suitable for the child’s height and weight, and the driver must know how to correctly fit the child seat so it can fully protect the child in a collision. However, in 2013 under half of purchasers buying from a shop were given access to a trained member of staff, and only one third were asked the essential information required for correct fitting, according to Good Egg’s surveys.

When child safety seats were made compulsory on 18 September 2006, officials claimed that they could save up to 2,000 children per year from death or injury in road collisions. Currently, all children who are under 135 cm and under 12 years of age must use a child seat appropriate for their weight. However, as the law is framed currently, there are no regulations on the fitting of seats or information given by retail staff.

Today's figures, which are based on checks of over 10,000 child seats across England, Scotland and Wales carried out by Good Egg, show a rise in unsafe fitting from 47% in 2010 to 55% in 2011, 57% in 2012 and 60% in 2013.

Jan James, CEO of Good Egg said: “If you want to get an idea of the difference between a properly fitted child safety seat and a badly fitted one, think of eggs in an egg box. Eggs are fragile — as are our children — but when snugly fitted in the right sized egg box, they can withstand all kinds of bumps and jolts. If you put eggs loose, or in a box which is too big for the eggs, they fare much worse. No one would think of transporting loose eggs yet that is effectively what we are doing when child safety seats are not the right size for the child, or aren’t secure because they are the wrong type for the vehicle, or they are not fitted properly.

“Good Egg safety has checked more car seats than any other organisation and our findings are a major concern. Analysis from our surveys suggest three reasons for this. Firstly, we are seeing families where the seat has been donated by friends, or re-used from a previous vehicle. Secondly, we’re seeing an increase in buying second hand online. Parents often discover that the instructions are not included. Thirdly, we’ve found that two thirds of our respondents, who bought from a retail shop in 2013, for example, were not shown how to fit the seat, and less than half were asked for the basic information necessary to advise them on the right seat. There is also significant risk of incorrectly fitting a brand new child seat if it is purchased online without means to check with the retailer directly.

She continued: “We need to be clear about this: unless we know that our child seats are correctly fitted for their size and weight and for our vehicles, we put our child’s life at risk every time we take them for a drive. When buying, it’s important to insist that the sales staff confirm it’s the right seat for your child and car, and show you how to fit it yourself. At Good Egg, we’re campaigning on this and other issues, because unfortunately life doesn’t come with safety instructions."